Sonoran Desert Investigations, Inc. v. Miller

141 P.3d 754, 213 Ariz. 274, 479 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 7, 2006 Ariz. App. LEXIS 72
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedJune 2, 2006
Docket2 CA-SA 2006-0006
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 141 P.3d 754 (Sonoran Desert Investigations, Inc. v. Miller) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sonoran Desert Investigations, Inc. v. Miller, 141 P.3d 754, 213 Ariz. 274, 479 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 7, 2006 Ariz. App. LEXIS 72 (Ark. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

OPINION

HOWARD, Presiding Judge.

¶ 1 In the underlying wrongful death action filed by Lorna Hernandez, defendants Sonoran Desert Investigations, Inc., Michael Ghigo, Jose Howard, and Safeway, Inc. (collectively, SDI) moved for summary judgment based on A.R.S. § 12-712(B), which absolves *276 a defendant from liability to a plaintiff who is injured while involved in a criminal act. The respondent judge found that § 12-712(B) im-permissibly removes the determination of contributory negligence or assumption of the risk from the jury in violation of article XVIII, § 5 of the Arizona Constitution and denied SDI’s motion. SDI brought this special action to challenge the respondent judge’s ruling. Based on the broad language of article XVIII, § 5 and Arizona Supreme Court cases construing that section, we agree with the respondent judge that § 12-712(B) is unconstitutional and therefore conclude that the respondent judge did not abuse her discretion by denying SDI’s motion.

Jurisdiction

¶ 2 It is well settled that a denial of a motion for summary judgment is a nonappealable, interlocutory order that may be reviewed only by special action. Sorensen v. Farmers Ins. Co. of Am., 191 Ariz. 464, 465-66, 957 P.2d 1007, 1008-09 (App.1997). Consistent with our policy of avoiding piecemeal appeals, however, we accept jurisdiction of a special action challenging a denial of summary judgment only in exceptional cases. yOrme Sch. v. Reeves, 166 Ariz. 301, 302-03, 802 P.2d 1000, 1001-02 (1990). Our supreme court requires appellate courts to exercise particular caution in accepting jurisdiction in order to affirm a respondent judge’s denial of summary judgment. Ft. Lowell-NSS Ltd. P’ship v. Kell, 166 Ariz. 96, 99, 800 P.2d 962, 965 (1990). Nevertheless, special cases may warrant our accepting jurisdiction. See Orme Sch., 166 Ariz. at 302-03, 802 P.2d at 1001-02. We find this to be such a case for the following reasons.

¶ 3 The question presented here is a “pure issue of law, requiring neither factual review nor interpretation,” see id. at 603, 802 P.2d at 1002, and raises “a constitutional issue of first impression.” Inzunzar-Ortega v. Superior Court, 192 Ariz. 558, ¶ 7, 968 P.2d 631, 633 (App.1998); see also Ariz. Dep’t of Pub. Safety v. Superior Court, 190 Ariz. 490, 494, 949 P.2d 983, 987 (App.1997) (constitutional questions are matters of statewide importance). Although § 12-712 was enacted more than a decade ago, no extant opinion provides guidance on its application or addresses the challenge raised here. See Cronin v. Sheldon, 195 Ariz. 531, ¶ 3, 991 P.2d 231, 233 (1999) (potential for conflicting interpretations by trial judges militates in favor of accepting special action jurisdiction); In re Guardianship/Conservatorship of Denton, 190 Ariz. 152, 154, 945 P.2d 1283, 1285 (1997) (same). Indeed, the parties have drawn our attention to several superior court rulings in which trial judges have found § 12-712 unconstitutional on similar grounds, but neither the parties nor this court has found any opinion addressing the statute’s constitutionality. We have no doubt the issue raised here will recur in future eases, and judicial economy, not to mention the time and expense incurred by future litigants, is best served by addressing the issue now, while it is before us. See Ariz. Dep’t of Pub. Safety, 190 Ariz. at 494, 949 P.2d at 987 (“[I]t serves judicial economy to address a matter of first impression which is certain to occur again.”).

¶ 4 Finally, although not determinative, both SDI and Hernandez urge us to accept jurisdiction, agreeing there is a “state-wide need” for an appellate decision of this issue. See ChartOne, Inc. v. Bernini, 207 Ariz. 162, ¶ 9, 83 P.3d 1103, 1107 (App.2004) (acceptance of jurisdiction influenced by parties’ characterization of issue); Qwest Corp. v. Kelly, 204 Ariz. 25, ¶ 3, 59 P.3d 789, 791 (App.2002) (jurisdiction accepted to review denial of motion for summary judgment in part because parties agreed review was warranted). The parties’ insistence that this issue be resolved lessens concerns we might otherwise have about delay or inconvenience to the parties caused by our accepting jurisdiction. Cf. City of Phoenix v. Yarnell, 184 Ariz. 310, 315, 909 P.2d 377, 382 (1995) (supreme court considers effect of accepting review on litigation and parties). For all these reasons, we accept jurisdiction of this special action.

Standard of Review

¶ 5 We review a denial of a motion for summary judgment for an abuse of discretion and view the facts and all reasonable inferences therefrom in the light most favorable to the party opposing the motion. Samaritan Health Sys. v. Superior Court, 194 Ariz. 284, ¶ 11, 981 P.2d 584, 588 (App.1998). *277 A statute’s constitutionality, however, is a matter of law, which we analyze de novo. Martin v. Reinstein, 195 Ariz. 293, ¶ 16, 987 P.2d 779, 787-88 (App.1999). Laws are presumed to be constitutional, and we have a duty to construe statutes in harmony with the constitution whenever reasonably possible. Id.

Facts and Procedural Background

¶ 6 The facts, as stated by plaintiff Hernandez in her complaint and her response to SDI’s motion for summary judgment below, are as follows. Frank M. Hernandez, Jr., died of asphyxiation after he was apprehended on suspicion of shoplifting by Jose Howard, a private security guard employed by Sonoran Desert Investigations who had been assigned to a Tucson Safeway store. Howard allegedly confronted Hernandez after seeing him conceal bottles of moisturizer in his clothing and walk toward the front of the store. 1 Howard physically restrained Hernandez by wrestling him to the floor, face down, and placing his arm around Hernandez’s neck. Although Hernandez complained he could not breathe, Howard did not release him until, assisted by two Safeway employees, he had handcuffed Hernandez. By that time, however, Hernandez had passed out. Hernandez never regained consciousness, and the coroner opined his death was a homicide.

¶ 7 Lorna Hernandez, Hernandez’s widow, filed the underlying wrongful death action, alleging that SDI’s negligence had caused her husband’s death.

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Bluebook (online)
141 P.3d 754, 213 Ariz. 274, 479 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 7, 2006 Ariz. App. LEXIS 72, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sonoran-desert-investigations-inc-v-miller-arizctapp-2006.